Last year, when fans and media were calling for him to blow up his injured, underachieving roster, he did nothing.

This year, with fans and media expecting only minor tweaks to a team commonly thought the best in the league, Ainge made major roster moves, completing three trades ahead of today’s trade deadline.

In the shocking first move, Ainge shipped Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson to Oklahoma City for Jeff Green, Nenad Krstic, and a top-10 protected 2012 first rounder (by way of the Clippers).

In the second, Ainge traded Semih Erden and Luke Harangody to Cleveland for a second round pick in 2013.

In the third, Boston sent the injured Marquis Daniels to Sacramento for cash.

Here’s some immediate reaction to the bloodletting, which is as much about the future as the present:

The core remains intact. As much as Perk’s departure has shocked Celtics fans, the top-four players on this roster are unchanged. They alone keep Boston in the upper echelon of the league. The questions now are about how the new supporting cast will support the big four. Who fills spots #5-8 in the playoff rotation and how well?

Ainge is not done. The Celtics have three open roster spots with the departures of Daniels, Erden and Harangody. It’s widely expected that Troy Murphy will join the Celtics after a buyout and there’s still room to add two other players in his wake (one likely being a wing).

Ainge will now be judged (possibly harshly) on title-or-bust terms. If they don’t win it all, it’ll be easy to point back at the Perk trade.

This is going to be hard on team chemistry. Perk was a key member of this tightly knit team, and close to Rajon Rondo in particular. Doc Rivers suddenly has coach-of-the-year potential if he can put all these pieces together over the next seven weeks. It’s not going to be easy.

Rivers will have to stop using his line about how his starting five has never been beaten in a playoff series. That’s a thing of the past. Of course, his new starting five has never been beaten in a playoff series either. Just sayin’.

Ainge apparently had limited confidence in his ability to afford to re-sign Perkins this summer. Perk turned down a contract extension earlier this season, and Ainge may have been swayed by that fact, along with concerns about Perk’s long-term health. Which makes you wonder if it was limited confidence he could re-sign him, or limited desire to do so.

Of course, the allegedly-deep bench has been a problem all year and the potential exists for Green to improve that group, along with making the C’s younger in the top half of their rotation. Plus, Perk has always been a turnover machine, a bad free-throw shooter and a limited offensive player. We saw the benefits to the offense with the insertion of Shaquille O’Neal in the starting rotation. Boston will need to get more from Shaq than we originally thought back in training camp.

Big Man Health is a huge go-forward story. This can’t be overstated. The Celtics may have just punted one of their biggest advantages over the rest of the league, including Miami and Orlando. In fact, with Shaq and Jermaine O’Neal perpetual health risks, they may be no more than average at this point.

Ainge has added picks for the 2012/13 drafts. With a more restrictive CBA in place by that point, having low-cost options may be important for a team with so many large contracts. And we all know how well Ainge has done in the draft.

More on Green later but here are some quick shots:

He’s a 6’9” combo forward that has been used in a variety of capacities in OKC. Perhaps as a result, his PER checks in at a below-league-average 12.97, which is more than a bit worrying.

He doesn’t turn the ball over much.

He rebounds at essentially the same rate as Paul Pierce.

He appears to be best when guarding SFs.

Green takes the majority of his shots in two places: the rim and the three-point arc. So far this year, Green’s shooting 33.8% from the three-point arc and 74% at the rim.

It’s unclear how his previous performance will translate to Boston because of his new teammates and because it certainly looks like he’ll mainly play the three. However, Boston can definitely go small with KG in the middle and Green at the four.

Only consolation for Perk is he went to a good team with a future. I know he had his shortcomings on the offensive end but he filled his role on this team perfectly.

AussieCeltic

These trades cannot be judged yet. We need to see what Danny has in store for those roster spots before going all doom and gloom like so many commenters are already. If he adds some nice pieces (or if Perk spends most of the rest of the season injured) then we will all be singing Danny's praises once again.

While not understating the loss of Perk (who I LOVED), we need to wait and see what happens before we start judging Danny like the previous blog post commenters have been.

??????

agreed, it's too soon to judge right now. None of us know what Ainge has in store for this team, or even how these new players will mesh with the current roster. Only time will tell

somguyinsac

Okay then, I've give it a whirl to see how things turn out, in the meantime I'll put away my pitchfork and torch for now.

CelticKahlon

Though I agree that we should wait and see what the f*** Danny was thinking when he decided to pull the f***ing trigger as if the C's needed a shakeup, it came at a big price: Perk. First of all, the only problem the C's had was a needed backup for Paul because of the uncertainty of Marquis and I understand that. Second, if Danny had any f***ing patience, he would of tried to buyout Marquis after the trade deadline and see if he can get a guy like Anthony Parker or Josh Howard or whoever. Remember, Marquis wasn't a good bench player, but he did provide some solid minutes when Paul needed rest, which is what the C's only needed. Third, unless Shaq can turn back the f***ing clock back to when he was at least with Miami when they won it in '06, don't count on him to be a good replacement for Perk. Since I'm hoping the C's can get Banner #18 this year when they have the opportunity to do so, I just hope that whatever the f*** Danny put together works out.

Batman

I approve

Ex-CelticFan

WOW..this is a shame.. Trade perkins for what??? so that shaq and JO can stay injured on the bench? now thats some dumb shez right there. we only had one hope for that ring, and we just traded it away for gumps.
hate to say it, but i guess im ready to hop on that Miami bandwagon.

kricky

You are free to jump ship to whomever you chose. But Miami? Really? At least say OKC.

I'm going down with this Green ship (no pun intended).

AussieCeltic

Please change your allegiance to another team!! Boston fans are for life. You fickle fans can go somewhere else!

C's

If you didn't notice, Perkins is just as injury prone as Shaq and JO. I think that this trade was definitely a good one. OKC gave up a huge part of their scoring and part of their core. Don't expect Perkins to drop huge numbers because he's not much of an offensive threat. The Celtics have definitely made an improvement.

Yall need to effin RELAX. im just sayin that celtics aint gonna win this year becuz of the trade, *maybe in the future,THEREFORE my bets are on miami winning and ill be happy if they win instead of the LA Fakers. so excuse me for putting in my two cents.

kricky

And frigging Green isn't even that good to begin with! And he's a FA next year! Some reports said we could have gotten Parker from Cleveland for Quise and a 1st round pick.

Ainge is acting like this team was washed up and needed to be blown up and rebuilt. I swear stockpiling picks at a time when you should be focused on winning a championship.

f5alcon

i am from okc, green plays SF well, not so much at PF, but as a backup to pierce he should help you guys a lot to beat miami

Chris O

Yes that is exactly his role, SF backup which is ok, he is the heir apparent to Pierce in BOS right now.

TheEgo

Yes , YES and YES…….He can really defend, he has the Celtics attitude.

Spliff

haranGODy…mark my words..to let him go..the up and (not yet) comming 2nd comming of KG himself..this one will hurt badly in two to three years down the road

Johnny

i can barely read this. also, harongody is good but i'd rather take a 2nd rounder and clear some roster spots and cap room.

Razah

WHAT, you must be smoking too much of your name.

Steve B

I'll wait on judgement until all is said and done. My biggest concern is Perk is a fan favorite and one of my favorite players. Add in his friendship with Rondo and how close this team is and I worry about team morale for the short term. I really think Danny was worried he couldn't sign him for the right price.
Just when I tried to come to terms we give up Semih and Luke for basically nothing. Why give up Semih when you need centers now more than ever.

Hopefully the pieces will fall in place but I don't see this helping the chances for a banner this year. A year or two from now might be a different story.

OKC is now my second favorite team with Perk and Durant.

Interesting how the team will come out tonight. I see Tiny Gallon in our near future.

Perry

Ryan … some of your finer points have vindicated me. I think I have been the only one looking at this move in terms of the future. No cumbersome contracts going into 2012 (except PP and Rondo), and you're protecting the two best shooters on the team with Jeff Green who is a huge upgrade over the names we have been discussing during the past few weeks

Looks to me like Danny plans to make a hard push to resign Baby, and it is he who finishes games.

This is a pretty solid rotation if Shaq is healthy … D. West, Green, Kristic, Baby, maybe JO. Celts still a very tough minded defensive team on the perimeter.

Potentially adding Murphy makes up for the size lost inside.

Clever to deal Quis for cash since Murp could be paid a tad more than the vet minimum … I think.

Idaho

Perry, I have been excited about this trade. Mark my words Perk will not be healthy again in the NBA. You have seen his career peak already, not just because he left Boston. I wouldn't be surprised if this doesn't go through bc the OKC docs see the writing on the wall too. How come no one can see that????!!!!! He is out for another week. You really think that is the last of the troubles? Give me a break!

Sam Lang

Hahahaha at someone preferring Candace Parker for a FIRST ROUND PICK. No thanks.

This is all going to work out fine, especially if we sign Murphy.

Murphy + Krstic > Perk
Green >>>>>>>> broken Daniels

I_Love_Green

Perk is better than Murphy+Trash.

People don't realize how bad Nenad is. He's stupid bad.

Batman

OK IF THIS TRADE MEANS THAT YOUR AREN'T A CELTICS FAN ANYMORE GTFO
I AM PISSED OFF AT THESE BANDWAGONERS
OH LETS KILL DANNY EVEN THOUGH HE GOT US KG AND RAY AND WON US A RING
STFU

Batman

From a basketball standpoint, one thing to consider is that Perk is a free agent after this season, and the C's might not have wanted to place a longterm bet on his knees. I mean, if they weren't going to resign Perk anyway, this is hardly dumb. They dumped Nate and got a legit piece for him.

I_Love_Green

Exactly. Be angry with this trade, but don't jump ship because of it.

I_Love_Green

So now I'm praying Dalembert is bought out by the Kings, or some magnificant center pops up out of nowhere. MAGNUM ROLLE!! I'm pretty sure Murphy is gone to the Heat, along with Bibby making them even better, and we're currently without a real center. No Nenad Kristic isn't a real center.

Celtics Nation start praying for JO to get healthy, or Dalembert to be bought out.

Ryan DeGama

Chris Mannix suggesting Murphy has his eye on Boston.

Perry

There is no report of Murphy to Miami, and the smart money is on Boston.

By the way, Kristic played center for Frank in NJ.

If Murphy is signed we have 5 guys over 6' 10".

Oops … Almost forgot Sheed cause he may coming back!

I_Love_Green

Its been confirmed Sheed isn't coming back.

And for some reason I thought I read somewhere Murphy made a verbal agreement to sign with the heat.

Perry

Not yet … Blakey on Comcast just bought up an interesting point about Murphy perhaps starting with Shaq off the bench. No doubt Murphy is going to get minutes either here or in South Beach.

I think it's safe to assume there's been a wink and a nod between Murp and management, but we will soon find out.

somguyinsac

Haven't heard any rumblings about Dalambert yet, but the Maloofs asking for an extension on filing moving papers IS all the rage here right now.

Mike

In the middle of all of this, tonight KG and baby are gonna play 48 minutes and we have Wafer Bradley and West of the bench. Talk about great timing eh…

kricky

Enough of these attempts to enforce group-think. This isn't N. Korea. People have a right to be pissed at this trade and to express their opinions. What other purpose does this site serve?

Batman

Wow good job bringing up N.Korea
Cause its not like their people are suffering or anything

Batman

While your whining about a trade that might pay off

lakershater13

Hate the deals today because overall you trade what we traded had teams known perk was available i see us getting more back for him and the rest of the guys. One positive note is that Dalembert could be bought out by the Kings. If this happens and we sign Dalembert, Murphy, and Rasual Butler things may not look so bad. Murphy can spread the floor and he had a last second tip in when Indian beat the lakers last year. Also Dalembert would replace perk as a solid defensive center. Butler you would just have to pray he returns to form like he is back in New Orleans. At the end of the day we still have wafer behind allen and wafer has been getting better every game. So although I HATE the trades today doesnt mean I wont love the final product when things are final in a week or two. Plus Im a big fan of bringing up Tiny Gallon even if its just for now.

talesofJP

if by some miracle we get those 3 (dalembert, murphy, and butler) this team looks FAR better than it did before the trades. Danny made the trade because of the uncertainty around Perk's health/future and also for getting a good PP backup, which Jeff Green is better than any other backup we could have gotten in buyouts.

Jocellyn

Because of the Cleveland trade they are now trying to buy out Leon Powe! This is my shot at the three open roster spots: Leon Powe, Troy Murphy, and of course SHEED!

mtshamrocker

BUST OUT THE BUD LITE FOR SHEED!!!!

lakershater13

1 thing I'm very excited about…… Avery Bradley getting playing time tonight. We have 8 guys. If Bradley does not play at least 20 mins something is very very wrong.

Perry

Can he play the 5 spot?

Seriously though AB looks like a totally different player since the Red Claw encounter.

lakershater13

He may have to tonight.

GeOgre

Can someone please she some light on "top-10 protected 2012 first rounder (by way of the Clippers)."

Chris O

It means if its a top 10 pick we don't get it. So hope the Clips get better with Blake, the trade they made and the fact they have two very good picks this year

I_Love_Green

Oh god thats no good. I'm going to really root for the Clippers next year.

Chris O

I think Ainge made this deal because he heard Celtics Hub called Perk a Jerk….thanks a lot guys lol

Steve B

Yeah, it's Perk's Karma coming back to haunt him.

I_Love_Green

One thing that really irks me is what we got for Perkins. I mean, if Danny was looking to trade Perk, wouldn't you think there would be much better offers out there? I kind of have a feeling DA felt the pressure of the deadline coming and pulled the trigger kind of out of panic.

Carlos R

I don't know what the heck will happen with the C's, but OKC is now, without a doubt, a tittle contender, giving Perk will be fine. The needed size and a post intimadator, and they got it!!

lakershater13

Does anyone else see TNT considering blacking out the game tonight and playing Forest Gump instead?

Johnny

clips are on their way up but i'm doubting they will be a top 16 team next year. griffin's good, but come on, look what they're working with. that is going to be a valuable pick. remember how we got KG?

jonathan

A sweetheart deal from a former Celtic?

Nate

Are we going to see a second coming of Sheed or what? As much as I like Perk, I think this was probably a good move. Playing next to KG probably made him a bit overrated. And let's face it, he's knee's are done. It's clear that there are a few moves left in Danny's plan, so we will see what happens.

lakershater13

One of the analysts on espn said this might be dannys way of thanking the gm of okc for trading him allen to win a title. Yep that sounds about right.

lakershater13

More good news in Boston. The Red Sox look amazing and they start spring training games in 2 days. Im kidding of course I will watch the C's win or lose from here on but I am excited about the other Boston teams all with bright futures.

Ryan

I actually think this makes the Celtics more of a threat against Miami and the Bulls. Perkins is a big body, but the Heat don't have a guy that is going to bang with you inside, and the Bulls don't have anyone that Kristic and KG can't handle.

Ainge will need to get at least 1 more big body inside, but the overall depth of the Celtics just improved quite a bit. You also became a much better offensive team with Kristic, as he can stretch the floor along with dumping a guy who can't shoot FT's.

Now if Shaq and JO are still hurt by the time the playoffs come around, and you guys haven't added anyone inside, then you might be in trouble. DH will have a field day on you guys.

talesofJP

last time the magic and celtics played I'm pretty sure Dwight Howard had a huge day anyway, maybe that factored into the Perk trade a bit?

Daniel

I still cant believe this has happened ive been starring at it for 3 1/2 hours and it wont change but who are available for big men besides troy murphy dont say eddy curry but other than those two who?

theEgo

Thanks Danny. For me you've done the smart thing. Look Perking is a decent center, a good defensive center but paying a guy $10 plus million dollars to sit on the bench for the last 5 minutes of games because you can't rely on him. He will be missed, yes but if Shaq is healthy, him and Kristich will do fine. Green will be an excelent addition. Him and Gren Davis will give oposin benches a lot of trouble. LOVE the trades, honestly. Specially if after buyouts we can get some more help.

Perry

Ryan… Without question Green was bought in to protect our two most potent scoring options and defend the likes of LBJ and Melo. I don't think they're too worried about the Magic this year, and against the Bulls Noah isn't too much of an offensive threat and KG can handle Boozer. When you break it down this trade might be ultimately be judged in a finals rematch with LA.

John V

Putting Perk in OKC is a great way to prevent the Lakers from even reaching the Finals!

Chris O

We need Dalembert….HARDCORE…never thought I'd say that

Ben

I am sad about perk. But I will wait to see how things turn out (this year over the next couple) before being angry or happy about the trade.

John V

I was shocked and I'm sad to see Perk go, but I think we're being a bit too sentimental, because of the shock. If Perk had gone down to a season-ending injury, we wouldn't be so pessimistic. We'd say, well we have Krstic and we can try to get Murphy and Sheed and JO might come back and Dalembert and Pryzbylla might get bought out, Shaq has been good, Baby finishes the games, etc., etc.

Perk's absence does not kill us. Like, at all. Especially since even if we do face Orlando, their supporting cast is not as good any more. It depends on how good the new guys are. Green will have a new role, probably a better role than being miscast as a starting PF in OKC.

John

danny clearly has a big man ready to sign otherwise he wouldn't of done this. I think we might see the return of rasheed

Living in OKC, I've seen every game since the Thunder arrived. That incident is not typical of Nenad. He was good in the community and will be an asset to the C's. He just won't be the big, bruising guy the team had with Perk. Welcome Jeff & Nena. Best of luck Perk & Nate. I think all of them will like the cities and teams they're going to.

TheEgo

Does anybody remember the pre-big 3 Perkings? Size 6-9 . Not athletic at all. He has a lot of heart and defensibly he knew all rotations and his roll to perfection. But he was asking for too much money. Is better to let him go. If only Ainge would've know this earlier, perhaps Demarcus Cousins…..shame for Semih.

Razah

The Thunder are scary good right now.

Perk = defense.

Nazr = offense, solid rebounder.

Combined = 2 vets with playoffs, finals experience they desperately needed in that frontcourt to help Ibaka along.

SHEEDISGREEN

bring back sheed

Carlos R

After reading like 28 sports sites I'm confident that Danny will get another big sooner than later. That's the only way this trade makes sense.

s8anicfalcon

My only hope is Danny is a huge Curb Your Enthusiasm fan and actually thought he was trading for Jeff Green, Larry David's fictitious manager on the show played by Jeff Garlin. All kidding aside, the shock is starting to wear off and I've been talked off the ledge. All of the names previously rumored to have been coming to the C's as a backup swingman were significantly less talented than J. Green and had no chance of being a part of the team's future. I was outraged when I first heard the news but I'm starting to calm down and actually, you know, look at these deals from an on-court perspective. Now if Murphy isn't headed to Beantown for some additional size, I may change my mind but I like that Green can give not only PP, but also KG some rest while providing Doc with some interesting lineups. My only concern is team chemistry but I think Doc has a pretty good handle on this team. Let's see the on-court product before we start calling for Danny's head.

Steve B

The Celtics might have to sign Tyron Lue to a 10 day contract just to fill minutes tonight.

John

The grizzlies got shane battier for hasheem thabeet..what the fuck

Steve B

Forgot all about that. All we heard was no way we could get Battier and then that happens. I also thought he didn't want to leave and Houston wanted to keep him. Thabeet will be the center of the future I guess so good for the Rockets.

torpid bunny

Hard for me to judge the Perk trade. They started 23-4 without Perkins, but that was with a healthy Shaq. What I'm scratching my head about is dumping Perkins and Semih. JOneal might play again this year. Might. Shaq has a new problem every few weeks. Semih has put in a lot of good minutes. I don't get it. It's no so much trading your starting 5 for a bench player. It's decimating your depth at center.

npnpnp

This was a big mistake. I understand that you're thin at the 2 and 3 spots, but the size up front was what made you guys tough. Just don't understand making big roster moves in the middle of a season in which you have the conference's best record.

Ned

When I first heard about this trade, I didn't like it. But now after several long hours of contemplating…..I HATE it. I don't wanna hear a single thing about preparing for life after the big three or the fact that Perk was going to be a free agent or trying to attract Dwight Howard or anything like that. This year is OUR year. The time is now. And you don't trade away your starting center and defensive rock before the mid season trade deadline in a season where it is championship or bust.

I_Love_Green

RASHEED WALLACE HAS ALREADY SAID HE IS NOT COMING BACK.

Thank you.

ElRoz

Perk had health issue with his knees and shoulder…turned the ball over..offensive drawback..

with that said he was very veyr good for Bston as adfender and rebounder……but Boston was fine with Shaq there as well……

Green and Kristic will give more offensive options…..if Boston gets Murphy PF or a small forward…this will be quite good…

I worry about getting these 2 – or 3 – new guys to be part of the team….but maybe the rest of the season will be enough? Go Doc!

Now the backcourt has just added size: Delonte and Vafer over Nate.

Ryan DeGama

Speculation from Washburn… probably just that….

gwashburn14 gary washburn
by SpearsNBAYahoo
Cavs just waived Leon Powe, opening up the possibility for a return to Boston #celtics

Mike

Man I still remeber how Powe went crazy on the lakers in game 2 so I kinda wouldn't mind but doesn't he have knee issues too?

Razah

OH damn, i LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Powe. I'm just not confident he can return to form with those knees of his. I hope he does and i would love to get him back here.

Celtics Freak

I AM ANRGY ABOUT LETTING PERK GO THEN ERDEN BUT WE GOTTA GET OVER IT GREEN IS HECKA GOOD AND MAYBE WE CAN DO SOMETHING WITH THOSE PICKS BECAUSE WHO DID WE ACTUALLY LOSE OTHER THAN SOME BIGS…TRUST ME WE CAN GET SOME BIGS BACK AND AINGE WILL…I BELIEVE IN HIM AND SO SHOULD YOU

jonathan

SINCE YOU'RE TYPING IN ALL CAPS I HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO AGREE WITH EVERYTHING YOU SAY.

jim

I am like everyone else on this trade which is total shock. I do havea lot of faith in Danny Ainge so we have to wait to see what develops. I will miss Perk, Semih, Nate et al, and I wish them the best.

Celtics Freak

@jim your totally right we have to have trust in danny and we might miss Perk and Semih but we will definitely get some one and if we dont some will step up even if it's a guy from the d-league

GranTur

The only shock to me is losing Erden because if JO doesn't come back, we need a fourth big; however, if the Celtics know they are signing Troy Murphy, then the Celts are all set…

Think of it like this, folks:

Nate (inconsistent, huge defensive liability)
Perkins (injured and unwilling to take 7 mill per year/4 years as a purely defensive player)
Marquis (out for the season anyway [surgery-bound])
Gody (excels at nothing, defensive liability, undersized)

mikedude

omg i just remembered that RASHEED WALLACE and TROY MURPHY just might replace what we lost!!

Celtics Freak

it is very unlikely sheed will come back but if he does thats even better

jpbl1976

Just like most of the guys here, I'm angry that Perk got traded. He played very well for us in the past and during his return and, while he's limited offensively, his size and defensive ability would have helped us tremendously during the playoffs, particularly against the Magic, Lakers and Heat.

That said, it's possible Dannny made the Perk trade on medical grounds. Remember that he famously passed on Brandon Roy because he couldn't get assurances about Roy's knees holding up and look how that went.

Clearly, Danny has more information on medical matters than any of us do and it may be that we were going to lose Perk for the remainder of the regular season and it's possible that Perk wouldn't have been effective during the playoffs so he decided to roll the dice. Also, let's not forget the C's have been cagey about the health of players in the past; for all we know, Perk might be out until after the playoffs.

Besides, this group, as it's currently constituted, has to win it all this year because of the changing landscape in the NBA East. New York looks like it could pick-up either Chris Paul or D-Will (he won't talk extension with the Nets), Miami will probably go after Perk (assuming he's healthy) in earnest, Chicago will also improve going forward. Orlando will probably try to stock-up as well just to keep Howard.

Going back to the present, Kristic for Erden is essentially a wash (Kristic could even be better; at the very least he's more experienced). Also, I don't think Danny would have pulled the trigger on even an admittedly-gimpy Perk if he didn't have at least 80% assurances that Murphy would go to the Celtics. So we can assume we'll get Murphy here at some point.

Also, I just read that Leon Powe just got waived; maybe Danny is planning to him back?